Dreams With a Mercenary
by ScarlettPlum
Summary: Stephanie is having some very weird pregnancy dreams. Jed helps her sort through them and her fears of motherhood.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Plum or her world.**

* * *

Ranger let the Porsche roll to a stop in front of the small, yellow house. He and Stephanie both looked up to see Jed standing in the doorway. Stephanie grinned, he had honed in on the burg skill of knowing when company was approaching.

"The house is looking good."

Jed had refused to live at Rangeman or to even work there part time, but he had purchased a small fixer upper close by. The neighborhood wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the best either. Stephanie thought it would give him something to do if he organized a community watch, but Ranger said Jed would keep his eyes out on his own and if anything was wrong, Jed would take care of it. She thought his neighbors should feel a lot safer with their very own Clint Eastwood next door. He had kept busy though doing his renovations, and Stephanie was glad that he had something to occupy his time with. She was also worried that he was just biding his time until the baby was born, and then would take off again. Jed had never had any permanent roots before and Ranger kept warning her not to get too attached because he thought Jed still had some roaming left to do.

Oh well, she'd worry about that another day. She had enough on her plate as it was.

"I'll be back to pick you up after the consult, probably an hour or maybe two if we go to lunch."

Stephanie felt her eye twitch. She was due anytime and she knew she had to turn things back over to Ranger with the business meetings since she'd be absent for at least six weeks when the baby came, but knowing her husband was possibly going out to lunch with a blonde goddess heiress didn't thrill her. Especially since she had seen on a talk show how infidelity wasn't uncommon in pregnancies.

When Ranger didn't make a move, Stephanie snapped, "You're going to have to help me out Ranger, unless you expect me to slide out and roll to the door!"

Ranger didn't comment, but got out and walked around to the passenger side and opened the door and helped heft Stephanie out. She noticed his grin as he glanced down at her feet.

"What?"

"Nothing Babe, you have a good visit and if you need me, call my phone, it will be on at all times."  
Stephanie strained to look down at her feet and stumbled forward a little. Ranger grasped both arms and steadied her.

"You have on two different shoes Babe, no big deal."

"No big deal!" Stephanie stretched her left foot out and saw her blue ballerina flat shoe, and when she stretched her right foot out she saw her black one. Both were the same style so that's why she hadn't noticed they were different.

"How could you not notice that before and tell me Ranger! This is so embarrassing!"

"It's not that noticeable Babe and it's just Jed," Ranger answered her in what she had penned his 'exasperated with my crazy wife' tone of voice.

"Well of course you wouldn't notice. Why would you want to look at your whale of a wife in her stretchy panel jeans and wide fat feet shoes!"

"Stephanie I have to go," he leaned in and kissed her on top of her head and gently guided her towards Jed's front door.

Jed opened the door and walked out to meet her.

"I bet you'll notice Shelia's FMP's though with her tight little short business skirt. I bet you'll be able to tell me what color her shoes are!"

"You'll be back in your FMP's and tight short business skirts soon Babe. I really have to go," Ranger did the head nod at Jed and walked back to get in the car.

"Ha! Shows you what you know, I always dressed professionally. That woman dresses like a call girl instead of the owner of Grandma Hazel's Herbal Tea."

Ranger didn't comment. He got back in the Porsche and peeled away from the curb.

"I'll probably end up killing him again tonight," Stephanie mumbled.

Jed chuckled, "Again? Come on in. I made you a nice thick vanilla milkshake and you can put your wide fat feet on a chair and tell me all about it."

Stephanie followed Jed into the kitchen. She ignored his wide fat feet comment because she knew he was only teasing her. Truth was he seemed to be the only person who didn't get on her nerves lately.

Stephanie plopped down in what she had claimed as her chair and did as Jed suggested and put her feet up to help alleviate the swelling. The shoes were cute with the satin ribbon woven through on the sides with a matching bow on top. Comfortable too, and she was all about comfort these days. Well she had always been about comfort preferring jeans and tee shirts, but she did love her shoes. She missed all of her FMP's, but she wasn't stupid. Even if she could squeeze her feet into a pair, she would never risk wearing them and falling while pregnant.

Jed waited her out while she sipped on her shake. Vanilla shakes had been her big craving during her pregnancy and she wished she had some salty fries to dip in it right now.

"I'm just tired and cranky. I have to get up constantly during the night to pee and I've been having these very bizarre dreams. When I wake up I know they were just crazy dreams, but they're so unsettling I can't fall back asleep. They seem so real and vivid. They've got me a little upset."

"Why don't you tell me about them? Maybe we can figure out what they mean."

"I hope they don't mean anything! They're too embarrassing. Just forget I said anything."

"Well, we could go over to the park. That place is full of new moms and you could ask them if they had weird dreams too and they might give you some advice."

"Absolutely not! First off, if they didn't dream crazy stuff, then I would have to assume that I'm going crazy. Secondly, I'm not going back to the park until after I have the baby."

"What has got you all fired up about the park? You use to like to go and watch the moms with their babies. That's where we found out about all of that baby stuff you'll need to carry with you all the time."

"Well yeah, it was helpful in the beginning observing how they acted with their babies, but do you know what new moms want to talk about to women who are about to give birth? They want to give them all the details of their births!"

"Sort of like soldiers swapping battle stories."

"Yep, but they don't realize, they're freaking out the moms who haven't gone to battle yet."

"I see. You're worried about the pain."

"I'm worried about the pain and just about everything else you can imagine. I mean sure, I know I need the stroller and carrier and what all I need to put in the diaper bag, but pretty soon I'm going to have to actually use all of that stuff."

"They've got stuff for pain now though so why don't you do that."

"I don't know, the thoughts of someone sticking a needle in my back sort of freaks me out. Plus Ranger is all about the body is a temple. The other night at dinner my mom was telling me they gave her some wonderful medicine when she had me and Val, and she sort of faded in and out of our deliveries and didn't remember very much. Ranger whispered, 'Babe you were born stoned.' Then Val was saying how much better a natural birth is for the baby. I mean Ranger was tortured for days by Colombian drug lords. I feel sort of silly saying I'm afraid of some discomfort bringing our child into the world."

"I don't think Ranger would want you to suffer with pain if you didn't have to."

Stephanie shrugged, "I have the option if I need it. Since I'm not sure what it actually feels like, I'll wait and see if I can handle it."

"You know I read a book once on the meanings behind dreams. I bet if you talked about it we could figure out what it is that is bothering you and maybe the dreams would stop."

Stephanie swirled her straw around in the glass, "They're really weird and it's kind of embarrassing. I haven't told anyone about them."

"I'm not going to judge you. You can't help what you dream."

"The worst one except for the two where I killed Ranger was that I left the baby."

Jed couldn't wait to get to the two where she killed Ranger, but he motioned for her to continue.

* * *

_Stephanie opened the door to the apartment and placed her purse down on the side table and looked through the mail. Nothing important in the mail for her so she walked into the kitchen and saw the trays Ella had set out on the table for dinner. She lifted the lid to her plate and was thrilled to see lasagna and a huge hunk of buttery garlic bread. She heard Ranger finishing up a phone call so she put the lid back on the tray and walked into the living room to greet him. He was sitting on the couch so she stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and placed soft kisses on his neck. Ranger angled his neck so she could get to the sensitive spot behind his ear and then he reached up and pulled her over the back of the couch to settle in his lap. They spent a few minutes cuddling and kissing when Ranger pulled back and said, "Where's the baby?"_

_Stephanie jumped up off of his lap and placed her hands over her belly. It was flat._

"_Stephanie you took him with you to the bonds office to drop off the papers for Connie. Did you leave him off at your parents?"_

_Stephanie thought hard. She went to the bonds office after she stopped for coffee and a pastry at the bakery. Her hands were full so she sat the coffee and bag on top of her car to open the door and then she got in and drove to the office. _

"_I must have sat him on top of the car with my coffee!" she screamed._

_Ranger took off running with Stephanie following behind. As soon as they reached the control room, Hal shouted that a baby sitting in his carrier was found sitting in the middle of traffic on Rhodes Boulevard. Stephanie and Ranger ran out of the garage and around the corner and there in the middle of the road with cars all smashed up around him sat a baby sitting in a carrier eating a pastry. Carl and Big Dog were shaking their heads and handing money to Eddie, while Joe said, "I'm glad you're not the mother of my children Cupcake." Ranger walked up and picked up the baby and starting walking back to Rangeman and he never even looked at Stephanie. She stood in the street sobbing "I'm sorry" over and over._

* * *

"I get sick just thinking about that one. I woke up crying that morning."

"I think that you are afraid you won't make a good mother and everyone else thinks the same thing."

Stephanie didn't answer. That's exactly what she was thinking.

"Sassy, you know you aren't going to leave your baby on top of the car and drive off with him up there. It was a stupid dream and you should know better than to let it upset you. All mothers are nervous. Sure you'll make some mistakes, but you're not going to put your baby on top of your car and drive off!"

Stephanie nodded, "That one was more like a real nightmare. That one bothered me the most because it was so real and scary, the others are just weird."

* * *

"_You're doing great Babe, keep pushing."_

"_I think I'm splitting open! I won't ever be able to sit down again!"_

"_It's almost over Stephanie. The head is out! Look at that hair!"_

_Stephanie was pushing so hard she couldn't open her eyes. Her baby had hair?_

"_What color?" she gasped out._

"_It's solid black. Look at that pony tail."_

_Pony tail? Stephanie forced her eyes open and looked down between her legs and there was her baby with his hair slicked back in a neat pony tail. Stephanie blinked, "He has your hair."_

"_He sure does Babe."_

"_Okay Mrs. Manoso, one more push and he'll be here."_

_Stephanie pushed again and she felt the baby slide out._

"_No wonder he kicked so hard Babe, look at those boots."_

_Boots? Sure enough he had on black combat boots, along with black cargos and a black tee shirt._

"_That's not right," Stephanie said, but everyone was ignoring her._

"_Listen to him," one of the nurses said._

_Stephanie strained to hear her sons cries, but they sounded different._

"_He's yoing," another nurse gushed._

_Sure enough she could hear it now, it was a soft yo,yo,yo,yo._

"_Ranger something's not right. It's not supposed to be like this," she was starting to panic but no one else seemed to be alarmed._

"_Babe I'm going to walk with him down to the waiting room so the guys can see him."_

"_Walk? Ranger he can't…," but she cut off when she saw the doctor sit her newborn toddler off the exam table and the baby walked out in front of Ranger. _

"_This isn't right! I've read the books! He's not supposed to walk yet!"_

* * *

Jed looked at Stephanie, "Well, clearly you….. I think what that means is …. We'll come back to that one."

* * *

_Stephanie was running late, because well she waddled instead of walked and her pelvic bone was really hurting so it was taking her longer to walk down the hallway. It seemed like it was a lot longer than it was when she left the apartment that morning. Oh well, she could see the door now. She couldn't wait to take a nice shower and climb into bed and put her body pillow between her legs. That would probably help the pain. She loved her body pillow. She could probably get in a quick nap before dinner. _

_When she pushed open the door she was met with a woman's laughter. She didn't know they were having company. She walked into the living room and quickly lost her smile when she saw that Jeanne Ellen Burrows was the guest that she wasn't expecting. Ranger sat beside of her on the couch and there were two glasses of wine on the table in front of them. What the heck! Ranger was not entertaining Catwoman when she was not at home. They didn't entertain Catwoman when she was at home, what was he thinking. _

"_Hello," Stephanie bit out._

_Jeanne Ellen looked at her with a smirk on her face. Then she leaned in and kissed Ranger. Stephanie was frozen in place while she waited for him to push her away. He better be pushing her away right now. She meant it. Right this second he better be shoving her away from him. The bastard was kissing her back! Then Ranger swept her up in his arms and starting walking to their bedroom._

_Finally Stephanie found her voice, "What the hell are you doing? Ranger you're with me now!"_

"_But I'm better," Jeanne called over her shoulder. _

_Ranger kicked the door shut behind them, and then opened it back up and tossed out her body pillow and slammed the door again._

"_You won't get away with this! I'll kill you both!"_

_Stephanie's eyes darted frantically around the apartment and landed on her cookie jar. Her gun! She waddled as fast as she could over to it, but when she lifted the lid it was full of Tasty Cakes. Her gun was on the bottom. She'd just have to eat the cakes to get to it. She grabbed the Coconut Junior and ripped it open and shoved it in her mouth as she simultaneously ripped open the pack of Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes. They were small she could double those up. She had worked her way through ten Coconut Juniors, Twelve Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes, nine packs of Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, and was finishing the last of the ten Butterscotch Krimpets when she heard Ranger's shout signaling he was through. She had to hurry. She would get them both as they came out the bedroom door. She felt sick to her stomach from eating so much. Why did the stupid jar have to be so full? She started to panic when she didn't see the bullets rolling around in the bottom. She checked the gun. Already loaded. She smiled betting that Ranger would regret doing that. She waddled back as fast as she could to the door and grabbed her body pillow and tossed it to the couch. It was her most valuable possession and she'd be damned if Jeanne Ellen tainted it with her splattered blood._

_The door opened and Ranger and Jeanne walked out at the same time. She got them both with a quick shot to the heart. _

"_Who's better now?"_

* * *

"I woke up sick to my stomach. I felt like I had eaten all of those cakes. Ranger asked me what was wrong and I called him an asshole and started crying. I didn't speak to him all that day. Which I know was crazy, because he didn't even do anything, but it was so real and I was furious with him."

"I wonder why you couldn't just put the cakes on the counter instead of eating them all."

"I don't know!"

"Had you seen Jeanne or something, because I thought we had already established before that Ranger didn't have any feelings for her?"

"Yeah, I saw her on the street a few days before wearing those ridiculous leather pants and boots with that stupid smirk on her face. She thinks she's so much better than everyone else. The little bit that I've worn leather; I know it makes you sweat. I don't know how she stands it, but I hope she has a horrible rash with little red bumps all over her legs from it. It would serve her right for not wearing sensible clothing because she has to be a bounty hunter diva."

"My guess for this one is that the baby was pushing against your stomach giving you a full feeling, and you're feeling a little insecure with the weight and how Ranger sees you now. Your subconscious is afraid he'll want to find something better. He won't though so you can stop worrying about that. Ranger loves you and he is a man of honor. He won't ever cheat on you."

"That's the second dream that I've had that he has though."

* * *

"_Ranger I don't know about interviewing for a nanny. I'm not comfortable with some strange woman coming into our home."_

"_That's why we interview Babe, so we can make sure she's a good fit for us. We ask her the questions and see how she responds. We'll go from there."_

"_I hate interviewing people Ranger."_

"_I tell you what, I'll interview her down in my office, if I like her I'll call you down and see what you think. If we both like her, we'll know it's meant to be."_

_Stephanie waited by the phone for an hour and still nothing. She decided to go down and see what was going on; if the lady was late she knew that wouldn't fly with Ranger. Since it was her husband's office she didn't feel the need to knock so she walked right into the horrific view of Ranger having sex with some woman sprawled across his desk._

_Ranger calmly looked at her and said, "Babe, I was just about to call you. She fits great and I love how she responds. Plus she's certified in first aid."_

_Stephanie reached down and picked up the gun Ranger always kept in the back of his pants. It had fallen out when he dropped them down to his knees._

"_I don't like her," Stephanie quietly said as she fired four shots off. Two into Ranger's back and two into the red headed bimbo sprawled out on his desk._

* * *

"Huh, and you don't even like guns," Jed said.

Stephanie shrugged, "Go figure." Tonight if she dreamed about him cheating she bet she would kill him with a spiked heel.

"You don't have to analyze that one. Val's anniversary of her marriage to her first husband was a few weeks ago and he cheated on her with their baby sitter. I'm not sure I want someone coming into our home and doing the things I do. Ranger is adamant about no outside day care, so bringing someone in is the only option. I know I don't have to work, but I was really enjoying my position in the company."

"A lot of decisions being a parent. You know you don't have to figure it all out right now. Go with your gut instincts. It's always worked for you before."

"But it's not just going to effect me, "Stephanie said as she stroked her belly.

* * *

"_Sorry, I'm late, I know its five minutes past six," Stephanie said as she sat down beside of Ranger._

_Everyone was looking at her expectantly._

"_What? We can start now, pass the potatoes."_

"_Frank, she's forgot the baby again!"_

"_Babe!"_

"_What? I didn't, she is right here!"_

"_Let's retrace the places she has been. Frank you take the car and you and Ranger can ride the streets until you spot her. Hopefully we can find her this time before the police are involved."_

"_Mom! I have her right here," Stephanie reached for her purse and sat it in front of her on the table. Everyone watched as Stephanie laid out her cell phone, pack of gum, stun gun, tampons, cuffs, tissues, and hairbrush. "I know she is in her somewhere," Stephanie shook her purse a little and reached down in. _

"_There's mommy's girl, I knew you were in here somewhere," Stephanie cooed._

"_Babe, you have loose cough drops down in there. That's not safe. You can't keep carrying her around in your purse."_

"_Really Stephanie, you should know better," Ellen quipped._

"_That's a pip of a hand bag you got there," Grandma Mazur said._

* * *

"I think that one means you're worried how a baby will fit in your life."

"I am a little I guess, but I'm excited too. Especially when I'm not dreaming all of this crazy stuff, and Ranger and I are lying in bed picking out names and feeling the baby move around. Then I'm excited for him or her to get here, and hope the first sounds it hears aren't me screaming bloody murder because I can't handle the pain during the delivery and end up scaring it and everyone else in the hospital."

"I know a centuries old solution to that," Jed said as he got up and walked over to the counter and brought back a small stick he had been whittling. He looked at Stephanie to make sure she was paying close attention. "You see this?"

Stephanie nodded. She knew Jed was big into herbal stuff. Maybe the bark was some kind of pain killer.

"You want to grasp the stick between your teeth and bite down hard. This will help to muffle out any sounds of your screaming and yelling."

"Hardy, har, har. Here I thought you had a magic cure so it wouldn't hurt."

I'm afraid there's not a cure for that. You can blame Eve. It's going to hurt, but you can do it Sassy, and it will all be worth it."

"I know it will. I just hope I have a baby when it's over."

* * *

"_Oh, I love it," Stephanie held up the little pair of bib overalls over her belly._

"_Is that not just the cutest thing you've ever seen," Mary Lou gushed._

_Everyone agreed as they had with every item Stephanie had opened. She had a huge pile of diapers, blankets, wipes, stuffed animals, and books, plus more outfits then any baby could ever wear. _

_Her mom looked so happy as she looked around the hall at all of the guests that had showed up. They had given her one of the nicest showers she had ever been to, and living in the burg, Stephanie had been to her fair share._

"_Thank you all so much for coming and these wonderful gifts," Stephanie said just as Alice one of the nurses at her ob. came in. She rushed up to Stephanie. _

"_Oh my gosh Steph, I'm so sorry. Dr. Tom tried to call you. After looking at your ultrasound, he realized he's made a mistake."_

_Stephanie could hear the collective gasps from her guests._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It's not a baby," Alice pulled out the ultrasound picture and you could clearly see a three tier cake._

"_That's not right! I'm having a baby!"_

_Ellen shook her head in disgust, "You and your cake. Does Eileen Bupkisis's daughter have a cake? No! Why couldn't you have a real baby like your sister?"_

_Lula patted Stephanie's back, "It's a good cake girl, but I bet Batman's still gonna be real pissed. He don't even like cake."_

* * *

Jed was all out laughing now, "I think you might want to lay off the cake for a while."

Stephanie placed the glass on her large belly and waited. Sure enough after a little bit, it moved. Her baby was a kicker and hopefully would be born naked and barefoot like it was supposed to.

Jed made his way back to his bedroom and came back with a dream catcher, "I make these sometimes and they're supposed to keep bad dreams at bay, so maybe it'll work with crazy dreams too. May you have a restful night's sleep free of violence, cake, and adult babies."

Stephanie looked up at Jed, her voice quivering when she said, "You know I love you right. You've always been so nice to me and I feel so close to you right now."

"Well don't go cryin' on me, I hate that! You've got to get that baby out and get your hormones back to normal."

Stephanie sniffled and nodded. She couldn't stand her emotional self either.

They both heard Ranger pull up and Stephanie wiped her eyes with a napkin.

"Now you go on home, and tell Ranger you haven't been sleeping well. He should carry some of the burden too. Talk to him and you both can figure out some of this stuff together so you don't worry so much on your own."

* * *

"I should have told you about the dreams before," Stephanie said as she snuggled against Ranger's chest.

"Yeah Babe, you should have. I read an article about bizarre pregnancy dreams, and I could have told you it was normal. "

"I love how you read all of that stuff so you know what's going on. I don't know why I was even worried; you're always prepared and know how to handle everything. You're such a good husband. I'm so lucky."

"Yeah, well I'm lucky too and I will never do anything to jeopardize that. I'll always be faithful to you."

Stephanie snuggled into Ranger's side and draped her leg over his. She felt warm, safe, and comfortable and more content then she had in a long time.

* * *

_Ranger held the hand of his little girl and walked along beside of her as she walked into the building. It would have been a lot quicker to scoop her up and carry her in, but she wanted to be a big girl. _

_As they stood in line, Ranger could hear the whispers._

"_Look at that gorgeous curly hair."_

"_That is the most beautiful child I have ever seen."_

"_She looks like an angel."_

_Ranger looked down at his little girl, who was the spitting image of her mother and his heart swelled with pride. She was his little angel. She looked up at him and gave him a toothy grin and squeezed his hand. "I ove you daddy."_

"_I love you too baby."_

_Ranger ordered the healthy choice meal for his daughter and a salad for himself. They found a table and his daughter boosted herself up, sitting on her knees waiting patiently for her lunch. Ranger spread a napkin out on top of the table and laid out the chicken nuggets, apple slices, and opened her milk._

_The little girl looked inside of the box and back at the table. _

"_That's not wight! That's not wight! Where's the fench fies. I want fench fies not this," She grabbed the packet of apple slices and slung them in the floor. _

_Ranger bent down and grabbed the apples, noticing they were creating a scene. What had happened to his angel child?_

"_Enough, you eat the apples. They're good for you," Ranger said in his tone that made people listen. _

_His daughter looked up at him with tears streaming down her face and flung her head down on her arms and wailed like he was killing her. By now the entire restaurant was staring at them. How could a love of French fries be hereditary? _

_Ranger lowered his voice and gentled his tone, "Look, eat all your nuggets and apples and then we'll get some fries."_

_His daughter's head shot up and she took the back of her hand and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. She was snubbing from all of the crying, but reached a hand for her chicken nugget. Crisis diverted. He just had to negotiate. _

"_Now eat your apple slices." _

_His daughter looked around the table again. _

"_Where's the peanut butter? I not eat them without peanut butter!" and she flung her head back down and the loud wailing started again. _

_The entire restaurant was watching him. He needed to get her under control. What could he do? If he gave in now, his authority went to crap because she would know she could gain control if she cried. If the situation continued to escalate, they would be asked to leave. He could see the manager watching them. He would never live down getting kicked out of McDonald's. His little girl took her food as seriously as his Babe. He couldn't stun her and he didn't want to have to physically restrain her if he could avoid it. His daughter was now kicking her legs along with loud unbearable screaming. The situation was escalating. She had just spilt her drink all over his lap… _

"Ranger, Ranger, wake up. It's time, my water broke."

* * *

Jed walked into the hospital room, carrying a big pink stuffed teddy bear and a vase of flowers for Stephanie. Stephanie and the baby were alone in the room and Jed walked over and looked in the glass bassinet. The baby was sound asleep with a head full of black hair.

"Was it pulled back in a ponytail?"

Stephanie laughed, "Nope, it was matted with blood and amniotic fluid just like it was supposed to be. No clothes or shoes either."

"She's a pretty little thing."

"That she is, but she really isn't all that little, 8lbs. and 4oz."

"That's tiny."

Stephanie snorted, "Didn't feel tiny when I was pushing her out."

"Was it bad?"

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders, "I'd do it again, if that tells you anything."

"It tells me you already love her like crazy and you'd do anything for her."

"That I do. Would you mind staying for a bit and letting me grab a shower. We've had so many visitors I haven't had a chance yet, and I couldn't leave her in here by herself."

Jed looked down at the baby, then back at Stephanie, "Well, since she's asleep, I guess I could manage. Make it quick though."

"Yes sir. I imagine quick showers will be my thing from now on."

Stephanie washed and conditioned her hair and washed off in record time considering she was still moving slow. She heard Sarah start fussing just as she started to dress. She could hear Jed talking softly, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. When she opened the door, Jed was cradling Sarah in his arms rocking her back and forth.

Stephanie watched him for a few seconds, "You're a natural; she stopped fussing quicker for you than anyone. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

"Think of what? That I could figure out how to hold a baby and talk to her."

"You're hired!"

"Hired for what? I wasn't lookin' for a job."

"Well, how about you come to Rangeman for a few hours each day and let Sarah hang out with Uncle Jed? "

Stephanie could see he was about to interrupt and tell her no so she hurried on to plead her case.

"If you would agree to help me out for a little while, I would be able to keep on working for Rangeman. I could do most of it from home and schedule meetings for the mornings. You and Sarah could go to the park. You loved the park when we went, but it would be even more fun if you had a baby with you. You could gossip with the other moms. When she's a little older, you could teach her how to whittle and make dream catchers."

"I haven't even got to go to Canada yet! I'm months behind on my trip."

Stephanie waved a hand at him, "Canada's not going anywhere."

"Well how long do you think you'd need my help?"

"Not long. Four, five years tops."

"Five years? You'd rather have an old retired mercenary help raise your child, then a professional nanny who knows what she's doing?"

Stephanie thought about how crazy it sounded and if you had asked her that question a year or so ago, she'd have said no way, are you insane. Her life sure had changed.

"Absolutely. You told me to go with my gut and that's what I'm doing. Besides, I'd never have to worry about you trying to take my husband or make me look bad."

Jed looked back down at the baby in his arms. Who would have thought kidnapping Manoso's woman would have changed his life like this. In the beginning he had did it to help a comrade, but he had reaped the rewards just as much as Ranger had. He was certain he could hear his Sarah's voice in his head whispering, _"You're home"_.

**The End**


End file.
